Tim Farrow wrote:
What was that about Poland last night Bush?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, actually, you forgot Poland.
Poland planning pull-out of troops from Iraq
"They deceived us about the weapons of mass destruction,
that's true. We were taken for a ride."
--President Aleksander Kwasniewski
Derek Scally, in Warsaw
Poland is planning to withdraw its troops from Iraq in the
coming months, dealing another blow to the US-led coalition
forces there.
The revelation yesterday by a senior government adviser
that Poland's 2,500 soldiers would leave Iraq comes just a
day after the new Spanish Prime Minister, Mr Jos Luis
Rodrguez Zapatero, announced the pull-out of Spanish
troops "as soon as possible".
President Bush reacted to the Spanish decision by accusing
Mr Zapatero yesterday of giving "false comfort to
terrorists \ enemies of freedom in Iraq".
The White House spokesman, Mr Scott McClellan, said that in
a five-minute telephone call to Mr Zapatero, Mr Bush also
urged Spain's withdrawal to "take place in a co-ordinated
manner that does not put at risk other coalition forces in
Iraq". Spain said last night its troops would be out within
six to eight weeks.
A senior adviser to the Polish government confirmed to The
Irish Times that Warsaw's decision had been influenced by
the Spanish move. "Given the circumstances [in Iraq], we
will probably diminish significantly the forces at the end
of 2004," said Prof Tadeusz Iwinski, secretary of state for
international affairs in the office of the prime minister.
Questioned further by The Irish Times, he said: "It is much
easier to send troops in than to withdraw them, but we will
probably do it at the end of 2004 or the start of 2005."
As well as 2,500 soldiers, Poland commands a 9,000-strong
division of troops from 24 nations, including 1,300 Spanish
soldiers. Poland and Spain had worked closely as both
political and military allies over Iraq.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence in Warsaw was
unable to comment. However, indicating evident confusion
within the government, the Polish President, Mr Aleksander
Kwasniewski, was quoted yesterday pledging to keep Polish
soldiers in Iraq. He bemoaned the Spanish decision to
withdraw and said he hoped that the Latin American members
of the coalition would keep their troops in Iraq.
But last night there were signs that this would not happen.
El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua provided 900 troops to
the Spanish-speaking Plus Ultra Brigade which was headed by
Spain. Honduras said it would definitely withdraw its 400
troops. Nicaragua has already pulled out by not replacing
its 115 troops because of a lack of funds.
The US State Department spokesman, Mr Richard Boucher,
insisted that El Salvador was "holding fast", as he put it.
According to the Associated Press, Albania, a predominantly
Muslim country, has told the US it is prepared to send more
non-combat troops to Iraq, on top of the 71-member
contingent already there, in the northern city of Mosul,
under US command.
